Published: Wednesday, February 6, 2013 at 3:15 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, February 7, 2013 at 12:37 a.m.

But this Wofford football recruiting class, according to the coaches, is both.

Wofford added 27 players Wednesday, National Signing Day, for the largest class in the program's Division I history. It is also the most talented group, they said.

At a celebration organized mostly for members of the Terrier Club in the Richardson Building, head coach Mike Ayers was being asked about how this class stacks up with some of the others during his quarter century.

Before the question was even finished, Ayers had his answer.

“Best,” he blurted out. “By far.”

For Ayers and recruiting coordinator Jack Teachey, who has been on the staff for two decades, this class appears to be the cream of the crops.

“We're fired up,” Teachey said. “It's on paper, but as far as what we've done in the past 25 years, we feel that it's the best class by far. And I mean by far.

“The quality of kid we got is amazing. We rate them on a board and we didn't drop below that first line at all. In some cases, we beat FBS teams. There were four of five kids that had offers from schools in the Sun Belt, Mid-American Conference and others. And we got them.”

Wofford landed five defensive players who apparently had offers from schools in the NCAA Football Bowl Championship division.

The Terriers got linebacker Lincoln Stewart from Deltona, Fla. (offered by East Carolina); defensive lineman Tyler Vaughn from McDonough, Ga. (Akron); cornerback Jamario Williams from Hilton Head Christian (Navy); defensive end Steven Cornellier from Jacksonville, Fla. (Air Force); and safety Nick Ward from Moore, Okla. (Air Force). Moore also was given the chance to also play baseball for the Terriers. He was one of the last to make up his mind.

“(Ward) had several offers,” Teachey said. “He just had a lot going on and it was a tough decision. … He's a lot like (2012 senior standout) James Zotto, but bigger. Nick is going to be a 220-pound kid who can run and he also has a great mind. He has the ‘it' factor. He's a big-time get for us.”

Wofford coaches worked hard for Stewart, according to Teachey, and several made trips to Florida. It was persistence that helped Stewart decline a last-minute offer from ECU.

“(Assistant coach) ShaDon Brown worked his fanny off for Lincoln,” Teachey said. “ShaDon is a great recruiter, a tireless recruiter. He put in a lot of hours and had a great rapport with (Stewart). That's probably the single-greatest reason we got him.”

Wofford signed four quarterbacks: Brad Butler from Rome, Ga.; Nick Colvin from Bogart, Ga.; Brandon Goodson from Dacula, Ga.; and preferred walk-on David Howerton from Asheville, N.C. The Terriers signed one more quarterback, Coleton Robinson from De Leon Springs, Fla., but have already tagged him as a cornerback.

“In most high schools, the quarterback is the best athlete,” Teachey said. “That dates back to Bear Bryant. He signed 10 or 12 every year. We really have seven or eight guys who have played quarterback. They have great intellect and great football IQ … It will all shake out eventually. I don't think they all end up at quarterback, but we'll give them a shot.”

The Terriers also signed six offensive linemen: Alexander “Roo” Daniels from Hammond School in Columbia; Mike Jones from Danville, Ky.; Davis Lenoir from Collierville, Tenn.; Justin Lott or Braxton, Ga.; Chuck Rouse from Wando High School; and Anton Wahrby from Lexington by way of Sweden as a foreign exchange student.

Among the other signees on offense were wide receiver Dakota Hopper of Madison, N.C; running backs Lorenzo Long of Cantonment, Fla., and Chris Martin from Columbia, Tenn.; and tight end T.J. Novotny of Milwaukee.

“Top to bottom, this is the best class we've ever had,” Ayers said. “It's athletic, it has size, it fills our needs and they are all good kids. It's a classy group. All those factors, along with their ability to play ball, means they are going to help us tremendously.”

<p>Bigger is not necessarily better. </p><p>But this Wofford football recruiting class, according to the coaches, is both.</p><p>Wofford added 27 players Wednesday, National Signing Day, for the largest class in the program's Division I history. It is also the most talented group, they said.</p><p>At a celebration organized mostly for members of the Terrier Club in the Richardson Building, head coach Mike Ayers was being asked about how this class stacks up with some of the others during his quarter century.</p><p>Before the question was even finished, Ayers had his answer.</p><p>“Best,” he blurted out. “By far.”</p><p>For Ayers and recruiting coordinator Jack Teachey, who has been on the staff for two decades, this class appears to be the cream of the crops.</p><p>“We're fired up,” Teachey said. “It's on paper, but as far as what we've done in the past 25 years, we feel that it's the best class by far. And I mean by far.</p><p>“The quality of kid we got is amazing. We rate them on a board and we didn't drop below that first line at all. In some cases, we beat FBS teams. There were four of five kids that had offers from schools in the Sun Belt, Mid-American Conference and others. And we got them.”</p><p>Wofford landed five defensive players who apparently had offers from schools in the NCAA Football Bowl Championship division. </p><p>The Terriers got linebacker Lincoln Stewart from Deltona, Fla. (offered by East Carolina); defensive lineman Tyler Vaughn from McDonough, Ga. (Akron); cornerback Jamario Williams from Hilton Head Christian (Navy); defensive end Steven Cornellier from Jacksonville, Fla. (Air Force); and safety Nick Ward from Moore, Okla. (Air Force). Moore also was given the chance to also play baseball for the Terriers. He was one of the last to make up his mind.</p><p>“(Ward) had several offers,” Teachey said. “He just had a lot going on and it was a tough decision. … He's a lot like (2012 senior standout) James Zotto, but bigger. Nick is going to be a 220-pound kid who can run and he also has a great mind. He has the 'it' factor. He's a big-time get for us.”</p><p>Wofford coaches worked hard for Stewart, according to Teachey, and several made trips to Florida. It was persistence that helped Stewart decline a last-minute offer from ECU.</p><p>“(Assistant coach) ShaDon Brown worked his fanny off for Lincoln,” Teachey said. “ShaDon is a great recruiter, a tireless recruiter. He put in a lot of hours and had a great rapport with (Stewart). That's probably the single-greatest reason we got him.”</p><p>Wofford signed four quarterbacks: Brad Butler from Rome, Ga.; Nick Colvin from Bogart, Ga.; Brandon Goodson from Dacula, Ga.; and preferred walk-on David Howerton from Asheville, N.C. The Terriers signed one more quarterback, Coleton Robinson from De Leon Springs, Fla., but have already tagged him as a cornerback.</p><p>“In most high schools, the quarterback is the best athlete,” Teachey said. “That dates back to Bear Bryant. He signed 10 or 12 every year. We really have seven or eight guys who have played quarterback. They have great intellect and great football IQ … It will all shake out eventually. I don't think they all end up at quarterback, but we'll give them a shot.”</p><p>The Terriers also signed six offensive linemen: Alexander “Roo” Daniels from Hammond School in Columbia; Mike Jones from Danville, Ky.; Davis Lenoir from Collierville, Tenn.; Justin Lott or Braxton, Ga.; Chuck Rouse from Wando High School; and Anton Wahrby from Lexington by way of Sweden as a foreign exchange student.</p><p>Among the other signees on offense were wide receiver Dakota Hopper of Madison, N.C; running backs Lorenzo Long of Cantonment, Fla., and Chris Martin from Columbia, Tenn.; and tight end T.J. Novotny of Milwaukee.</p><p>The Terriers signed three defensive ends in Cornellier; Boston Bryant (Williamsburg, Ky.) and Brandon Curtis (Bushnell, Fla.). Wofford also got defensive backs Jaleel Green (Jacksonville, Fla.) and Cole Higbie (Atlanta); linebackers Dylan Young (Collierville, Tenn.) and Terrance Morris (Chester); and kicker/punter David Marvin (Charlotte).</p><p>“Top to bottom, this is the best class we've ever had,” Ayers said. “It's athletic, it has size, it fills our needs and they are all good kids. It's a classy group. All those factors, along with their ability to play ball, means they are going to help us tremendously.”</p>